


And Then There Were Robots

by watermargin



Category: Kamen Rider Fourze
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-06
Updated: 2013-08-06
Packaged: 2017-12-22 16:11:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/915284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermargin/pseuds/watermargin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>JK gets embroiled in trouble after seeing old friends Megumi and Takahiro, and he needs Ryusei (and others)'s help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Then There Were Robots

It had been a long time since people other than the members of Kamen Rider Club called him by his high school nickname. JK whirled around. "Uh—Megumyon?"

"It is you, JK!" Megumi came closer, smiling. "You look so different."

"You look the same!" Her hair was still dyed—she must have gotten a job that didn't enforce strict appearance-related rules—and she wore makeup in much the same way. She wore less accessories, but nowadays so did JK. "How are y—"

She'd wrapped her arms around him. "It's good to see you," she said. 

JK nodded as she pulled away. He stuck his hands in his pockets.

She noticed. "JK, do you suspect me of something?"

JK chuckled nervously. "Well, you and Takahiro were always doing that double-team...."

"That's true," she responded. "We did, didn't we?"

"Y-yeah."

They walked a moment in a silence that was not quite comfortable. "JK... can I borrow some money?"

Is that why you came up to me, JK thought cynically, but what he said was, "How much do you need? I don't carry that much, you know...."

She was silent a moment. "5000 yen," she finally said. "... JK?"

"S-sure! Friends help friends, right? There's a bank over here, hang on a sec...."

"Thank you, JK," she said when he'd given it to her, and she looked so grateful that he almost didn't even mind. "Here, write your address here so I can return it—"

"Uh—Yeah."

I'll probably never see her again, he thought as he watched her walk off.

 

It was a week later when JK picked up his mail and noticed an envelope by Megumi. 1000 yen lay inside, along with a note that said, _The rest later._ He had gone out to deposit it into his bank account when he encountered another old friend. "Hey, Takahiro!"

"JK! Long time no see! You're in a good mood."

"Nothing wrong with that, is there?" JK playfully punched Takahiro on the shoulder. "What do you do now?"

"I'm... sort of...."

"Takahiro."

As they turned at the new voice, JK had a brief moment to wonder why Takahiro's face had suddenly fallen. "Nitta! Long time no see!"

"Not long enough," was Nitta's unsmiling response. He looked at Takahiro. "Did you...?"

"We just happened to see each other," Takahiro said hastily. "JK, it was good to see you, but we have to catch up another time. I, uh."

"It's fine, it's fine!" JK responded with a polite grin. "Another time!" He waited a half-minute before his grin dropped. He looked after them until Nitta turned his head and glared, and JK hastily turned around and started walking.

 

"Ryusei-san! Welcome home!"

Ryusei closed the door. 

"Ryusei-san. Ryusei-san!" JK banged on the door until Ryusei opened it again and let him into the apartment.

"What do you want, JK?"

"Who said I wanted anything?" JK grinned as he pulled a food carton out of the plastic bag he'd brought. "Why can't old friends visit once in a while, huh?"

"Every time I come home, you give me more work." Ryusei pulled a bottle of vegetable juice from his refrigerator and tossed it at JK. "What is it this time?"

"I can do both at once!" JK said indignantly as he set the bottle on the table. He pulled a photograph from his jacket pocket. "A-anyway, can you look into this person for me?"

Ryusei took it. "What's this for?"

"She's a murder victim," JK said. "The case got closed, but.... I wanted to see what Ryusei-sama makes of this case!" JK said cheerfully, with a salute.

Ryusei tossed the photo onto the table. "Answer's no."

"But—"

"No."

"I even got you photos of the crime scenes!" JK pulled out a manila folder, started spreading photos on the table. He looked up when Ryusei didn't say anything. "Ah! You've noticed something already, haven't you?"

There was a pause before Ryusei answered. "We'll see," he said, gathering up the photos. "Leave these with me. These are your files, right?" He picked up the manila folder.

"No prob! They're the copies I made for you." He grinned. "Hey, hey, don't glare at me for being prepared! And anyway, I'm looking into something, too, on my own time. We'll be overtime buds!"

Ryusei leaned away as JK tried to throw an arm around him. 

"Ryusei-san, you complain too much. Here, come eat this before it gets cold. It's your favorite! How have things been going lately? How's Inga-san?"

JK left about an hour later. Ryusei looked at the closed door a moment, then pulled out the photo from the folder that had given him pause. 

_Sometimes your instincts are too good, JK._

 

Not even two days had passed and JK had gotten himself into trouble. Ryusei closed the last few steps between him and the two men. "JK."

"R-Ryusei-san!" JK said nervously as Nitta let go of his collar. "Th-this is Nitta-san. You haven't met him, right? He's a high school acquaintance. Nitta-san, this is Ryusei-san... Nitta-san and I were just talking...."

"In front of a crime scene." 

"Why are you here?" Nitta interrupted before JK could respond.

Ryusei clasped his hands, a polite expression on his face. "I'm just here to meet a friend."

JK looked up at Ryusei's change in tone, glanced between the two of them. "Uh... someone want to fill me in...?"

Nitta opened his suit jacket and pulled out a badge. "Inspector Nitta to you from now on, JK." He turned to the crime scene as he snatched his badge out of JK's astonished grab. "As long as you're here, Sakuta-san," he said. "If you could do me a favor? I could use a second pair of eyes."

Ryusei hesitated the scant moment it took for JK to glance at him. "Sure."

"JK, if Sakuta-san's here, you can come too. But no reporting." Without waiting for a response, Nitta strode toward the apartment building.

It occurred to JK, once he'd followed the two of them inside, that he was maybe being played. That scarf sitting innocuously at a corner table was definitely Megumi's; she'd been wearing it when he'd last seen her. He should have asked her, he realized, what she'd needed the money for. "I'm, uh..." he started. "I... have another story. Since I can't report on this one, you know," he added with a grin. "See ya!"

The room was silent after he left. 

"Inspector Nitta. I don't appreciate my friends being used."

"Ironic," Nitta said, his back turned. He picked up Megumi's scarf, held it up. "Considering what JK was like."

"That was in high school," Ryusei said without inflection.

"People don't change that much," Nitta said, and didn't react to the chilly glare aimed at his back. 

"I'll see myself out."

* * *

JK had just about concluded that someone was following him, and was nervously contemplating whether to leave this wharf or stay at least a little longer in the hopes his anonymous tipster would show up, when something dropped to the floor on both sides. His eyes stung, he coughed and pulled his collar up to cover his mouth. Smoke?

Someone dropped down beside him. He jumped, but a hand was on his back, pushing him to a crouching position. 

"I-Inga Blink?"

She held a finger to her lips. "Follow me," she said. "Quickly."

She wasn't wearing that black thing she fought in, JK thought agitatedly as he slunk close to her. Had she noticed JK coincidentally? Did she normally carry around smoke bombs?!

"What's going on?" he hissed when she paused behind a stack of crates.

"See that car?" She pointed across the parking area that lay before them. "Run for it when I give the signal."

"But—" JK started to protest, then swallowed his words when she pulled out a gun. 

"Remember," she said. "Start running when I tell you, not before." She ran out.

If he got out of this alive, he thought as he clapped his hands over his mouth, he was going to have to edit this story a little—just a little—and omit the tiny little detail of having shrieked when the gunfire started. He watched, wide-eyed, as Inga ran through, her hair flying, her civilian clothing seeming not at all sufficient for what she was doing. In the moment that he hoped her skin was made out of _really tough stuff_ , she turned back to face him. "Now!"

JK ran for the car. He heard gunfire, but he didn't know if it was aimed for him or if Inga—

He threw open the car door and dove inside.

"Well, at least you're good at running," someone said from the driver's seat. 

"N-Nitta-san?!"

Nitta sped the car away. "You've been calling me that ever since you saw me. Cut it out. Are you trying to flatter me?"

"I last saw you over a week ago! And I call you that because— That's not important right now! Why is Jirou-san here?! And tied up like this!" He poked at Jirou's leg, at the duct tape around his wrists and mouth, and tentatively pressed his fingers to Jirou's neck to affirm that Jirou wasn't dead. 

"Did you know," Nitta started, "if Sakuta-san was working when he was here?"

"Huh? I asked him to do something—"

"Something, huh."

"Nitta-san?"

"Shut up, JK. You cause enough trouble. For some reason that female agent wanted to save you. I won't ask why you were there at the wharf."

JK opened his mouth to protest, to explain, but looked between Nitta and Jirou on the seat next to him and decided it was within his best interests not to antagonize an annoyed Nitta.

It was maybe an hour before JK spoke again. The forest that he could see out of the window had been worrying him for some time now. "Nitta-san...?"

"We're almost there."

"Almost... where?"

Nitta stopped the car. "Here."

_Here_ was still the middle of the forest. Alarmed, JK watched Nitta get out of the car. JK was nervously wondering whether he could run to the driver's seat in time if he maced Nitta when there was a shifting next to him. "Jirou-san?"

The door was flung open, JK was forcibly dragged out. When he hastily scrambled away and looked up, Nitta was grappling with Jirou, who had—somehow?—broken free of the duct tape around his wrists.

Something was wrong, JK thought as Nitta was bodily flung through the air and into a tree. Even when Jirou was only reaching up to rip the tape off his mouth, he was moving in slow, jerky movements, too slow— "Jirou...san?" JK shuffled backward as Jirou approached.

Someone came running up, kicked Jirou away from JK.

"J-Jirou-san?! Why are there two of you?!"

"I don't know!" The Jirou who had just arrived shoved the ex-tape-bound one away and turned to JK. "Why are you here?"

"Look out—"

A shot rang out, then once more from a different direction, accompanied by the sound of an engine. Ryusei braked, swung off his bike, pulled his helmet off as he continued shooting. Under the barrage from both Ryusei and Nitta, the Jirou from the car fell to the ground and didn't get up.

"Jirou," Ryusei said with relief as he approached. "You rescued yourself."

"Somehow. Ryusei, what—"

"You owe me extra for making me transport that thing, Sakuta-san," Nitta interrupted, as he shuffled over to them. 

"But what is it?" JK asked, nervously clinging to Ryusei's shoulder.

"A robot." Ryusei shoved JK away. "It'll get back up again. Jirou, I want you to analyze it."

"Wha— Ryusei, I'm a building engineer. I can't—"

"Watch carefully," Ryusei interrupted, as the robot got up in whirrs and jerky movements. "Don't interfere for a minute, Nitta-san."

"J-Jirou-san?" JK pulled at Jirou's sleeve as Jirou got quiet, watching the fight.

"I see," Jirou finally said.

"What do you see? Jirou-san?"

Anything Jirou might have said was overwhelmed by the arrival of another robot, who sent Ryusei rolling across the forest floor almost to Jirou's feet.

"Ryusei-san—" JK reached for Ryusei, then looked up. "Is that—"

"Black Knight." Ryusei got up. 

The roar of a motorcycle. Ryusei pulled something from his jacket and tossed it to Inga as she leapt off her bike and made a beeline for Black Knight. It was a taser, as the others saw when she ducked under Black Knight's swipe and shot him in the side. The robot collapsed.

Inga tossed the taser back, Ryusei pressed it into Jirou's hand. "I leave JK in your hands," he said.

"But—" 

Ryusei shoved him away as the robot Jirou and Black Knight got up. "The road is that way. Go."

After a small hesitation, Jirou and JK went. 

Ryusei looked at Nitta, who loaded bullets into his gun and smirked at him. "Special bullets. I'm prepared." 

On Ryusei's other side, Inga had also loaded her gun. 

Ryusei pulled out Meteor Driver. 

"Let's do this, then."

 

After a bit of a struggle with the trees and uneven ground, they'd reached the road and were looking around for a clue as to which direction they should head, when—"JK?"—Megumi came shambling out of the forest near them.

JK glanced briefly at Jirou—who looked cautious but not alarmed—and hurried over to her. "Megumyon! What happened? You're bleeding!"

Blood trailed down the arm that Megumi was clutching. JK realized that the red patch near her shoulder wasn't part of the design on her shirt. 

"I'm...."

"We should start walking," Jirou said when she didn't continue. "Reach a hospital somewhere. Do you need help?" he said to Megumi. "Um, here, you can lean on me...."

Long minutes of anxious walking later, Megumi started babbling. "JK... I'm grateful to you for helping me."

"Megumyon, save your strength—"

"Takahiro's dead, you know."

"Eh—?"

"He was— And I asked you for help to save him, too.... Takahiro was— When they untied me, he shouted at me not to go back. That got him knocked on the head. Takahiro... Takahiro never used to be so... selfless. But he told me not to— So I had to do the same. Even though, after scraping together all the money I had, I was short 5000 yen.... If I'd had one more week, gotten my next paycheck, I would have had enough, I was thinking. I was thinking about robbing a bank.... Then I saw you. I'm sorry for doing that so suddenly, JK.... But you just gave it to me, without...." She paused. "JK, thank you... for everything you've done for me...." She collapsed.

" _Megumyon!!_ "

 

Megumi's breathing was nice and even, JK noted with relief. "Idiot..." he said. "You didn't even tell me what happened, like... like why Takahiro was taken as hostage. Focus on the important stuff, you know? You gotta tell me when you wake up, okay? We'll—we'll avenge Takahiro. Bring them to justice. Okay? Megumyon?"

Megumi, asleep, a breathing mask over her face, didn't answer.

The door opened. "Jingu-san?"

JK got up, put a piece of paper with his number on it by Megumi's bedside, then went to the door. "We have to leave now, right?" he said to the awaiting Jirou. "I'm ready."

 

Bedraggled, they finally made it back to the city. 

"Why did Nitta have to drive me that far away in the first place?" JK leaned on Jirou's shoulder and pretended to sob.

"Buck up," Jirou said, half-encouraging, half-exasperated. "We're almost there."

JK didn't get the chance to respond; suddenly Jirou had grabbed him and he found himself flung a few yards away. He rolled painfully, and when he looked up, he saw Jirou run a few steps toward him.

The sudden appearance of Black Knight caught him off-guard. Before Jirou could do anything more than flinch, he was cut down. As he fell, a blue ball of energy collided with Black Knight, and Meteor shoved him away.

"JK." Nitta ran up. He helped JK up, who didn't look at him but was staring: at the parts of Jirou's face and body that had been shorn away, exposing wires and metal plating.

"Robot—" Nitta raised his gun.

"Wait, Nitta—" JK grabbed his arm.

" _JK_ " Nitta shouted, jerking the gun away. 

"Jirou-san is—the real Iseki Jirou died two years ago," JK explained. "The other one, that attacked us... was probably made off Jirou's blueprint, that got stolen from Alethia Alliance labs several weeks ago."

Black Knight sent bolts of energy whirring toward Meteor, and then rose into the air, clouds of steam hissing from his back. A retreat. Meteor chased for two steps, but turned around.

The Meteor suit faded away as Ryusei knelt by Jirou. "I'm sorry, Jirou. I sacrificed you to save the friend who's still living."

In jerks and whirrs, Jirou smiled. "Don't cry, Ryusei."

After a moment long enough for JK to shuffle and uncertainly go to his side, Ryusei reached for Jirou's neck and pulled out something mechanical-looking. He got up. "We have to go."

"But—are we just going to leave—"

"Now, JK."

With a last furtive look back at Jirou's body, JK complied.

* * *

"Ryusei-san—"

"Go away, JK."

"What kind of friend would I be if I did?" JK grinned with an effort, sat down by Ryusei, swung an arm around his shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Ryusei shrugged him off.

"Okay, uh, I'll just—uh, I'll get you some takeout. That'd be nice, right?"

"No."

"You're getting some even if you say so!" JK said with forced cheer. He opened the door on Inga Blink, her hand raised to knock, a startled look on her face. "Inga-san?"

"Leave, JK," Ryusei said.

"Sure, sure," he answered, pulling the door open and stepping aside for Inga to pass. "I'll buy you lunch tomorrow, then...."

 

Ryusei took the piece of Jirou away when Inga reached for it. 

"Are you sure...?" she asked.

There was a long pause, during which Inga stepped toward him. He turned away. "I will be."

He'd lost his friend twice, Inga thought as she picked up her clothes from the floor. Maybe it was for the best that she not make him another facsimile of his friend. "Ryusei... I'm sorry."

"Don't talk like that. There wasn't— There wasn't anything you could—" 

Inga put her arms around him. "Steady."

He took a deep breath. "Let's get to work," he said after a moment.

* * *

Near midnight, they found Megumi's body. 

How could this happen, JK yelled, whirling and pointing at them accusingly. "A detective and two secret agents? Why didn't you do something?" He grabbed Ryusei's lapel.

Nitta stepped forward; Inga stopped him. She inclined her head at the doorway and they quietly made an exit, as JK broke down into tears. 

Ryusei lightly touched JK's elbows as he stared stonily over JK's head at the body. "I'll avenge you," he said softly, but not softly enough that JK didn't hear it.

 

"I'm—you know, I'm sorry, Ryusei-san," JK said as they walked home. "About earlier."

"Don't be."

"It's just," JK said with a helpless, insincere smile. "She asked me for help, you know." He wiped an impatient hand across his eyes. "I thought I'd brought her to safety."

"JK."

"I'm sorry, I guess I still—" He wiped his eyes on his arms. Jumped as Ryusei slung an arm around his shoulders.

Ryusei didn't look at JK as he continued walking. He would have seemed nonchalant if JK didn't know better, and JK put his face in his hands to hide his sniffling as Ryusei towed him home.

* * *

He said he'd protect him. Nitta stared down at Takahiro's body. I don't care about our past history, Nitta had said. I'm a cop.

"I've really failed you, huh?"

The word 'fail' seemed to hang about the quiet room. Nitta shook his head. He was tired. He was making bad decisions; he shouldn't have come here.

"You and Megumi and JK did change, after all." He picked up the sheet and pulled it back over Takahiro's head. "I guess kids do change. We do stupid things when we're young, huh?"

He paused as he checked his gun. "No... we still do stupid things."

 

"Devil's Head," Ryusei said impassively. "Outstanding crimes in France, Chile, and most recently, Japan."

The man who called himself Devil's Head leered. "Excellent. Excellent! I thought I'd been particularly surreptitious in France."

Ryusei glanced aside. JK was behind him, Inga, beside. Nitta was a ways away, trussed up and kneeling on the floor, an explosive strapped to his chest.

Devil's Head noticed the look. "Ah, curious? I found a rat earlier! Do you know him, perchance? Are you in collusion?" He cheerfully held up a control stick as he emphasized the last word. 

When none of them answered, Devil's Head grinned. "Do you want to see fireworks? It'll be more fun than those other two rats!"

"Other two...?"

"Yes, what were their names?" Devil's Head looked at the control stick consideringly. 

Nitta suddenly jerked. He must have been saying some kind of expletive, but the duct tape over his mouth made it incomprehensible.

"Megumi." JK's grip on Ryusei's shoulder constricted.

Ryusei shrugged him off. If Ryusei needed to move suddenly, he didn't want JK to get dragged along.

"Oh, were they friends of yours?" Devil's Head said gleefully. "My bad!"

"Quit the distractions. What do you want?" Ryusei said.

"Simple!" Devil's Head waved the controller. "Let me go and I'll give you this guy."

When Ryusei didn't answer, JK grabbed his shoulder again. "Ryusei-san—! You're not really going to leave Nitta—"

Devil's Head grinned. "I would have asked for your organization—" He pointed at Ryusei. "—to get off my back, but if I'd done that, you would have left your friend the rat to die, wouldn't you?" He tutted. "How shameful."

The moment Devil's Head looked away, Inga and Ryusei opened fire. The control stick went flying; Devil Head's body twisted helplessly. Ryusei and Inga moved forward. JK followed cautiously, and he and Inga went to Nitta as Ryusei checked the body.

"Robot," Ryusei said with disgust as he stood.

"R-Ryusei-san?" JK pointed shakily at the numbers on the face of the explosive on Nitta's chest.

"What—" Ryusei glanced at the control stick a few meters away, looked at Inga when she handed him a knife.

"Ryusei-san, you know how to defuse a bomb?" JK clutched Inga's arm and hid behind her as Ryusei knelt.

Ryusei didn't answer, his mind whirling. He adjusted his grip on the knife, brought it closer to the exposed wires.

"Ryusei-san?" JK squeaked as the seconds counted down.

In one gesture, Ryusei cut all the wires, grabbed the bomb and stood, turning as he stared tensely at it. A second passed. Two.

"I-it was a dud?" JK asked tentatively after half a minute.

The tension drained out of Ryusei's shoulders. "A fake," he said. He flipped the device over.

JK collapsed in relief. "Worst day ever!" he said as he reached over to untie Nitta. 

"JK, Inga," Ryusei said, still staring at the fake explosive. "Can you take care of Nitta-san? I have to make a call."

"Sure," JK said.

When they'd gone and Ryusei had dialed his coworker, he was asked, not unexpectedly, who could have made the fake. Ryusei was silent a moment, but not because he didn't know. "Aletheia Alliance," he said finally.

* * *

JK had just about determined that the building was the villain's base due to the way that person was lurking back and forth along the end of the hallway, when a hand clamped around his mouth. 

"JK," someone whispered in his ear.

JK stopped his thrashing. "Ryusei-san?"

"Don't go into danger without calling someone," Ryusei said as he let JK go and adjusted his glove. 

"I was going to, but..." JK started sheepishly, but Ryusei was already striding further into the hall. "Wait— There's—"

The person at the end of the hall turned, then was grabbed and knocked unconscious.

"Th—That was quick!" JK commented nervously, a faux-cheerful note in his voice, but Ryusei kept moving. "Wait up! Where are you going?"

"To where Devil's Head is."

JK answer was swallowed up by the arrival of a multitude of henchmen, blocking the way forward. Ryusei didn't break stride, fighting as he went, and JK wondered what Ryusei would do if the henchmen had guns. Ryusei couldn't fire his own weapon quick enough to prevent all the enemies from getting off at least one shot, could he?

It turned out it didn't matter; none of them had been armed. JK glanced at the exposed metal wiring of one of the downed enemies, and wondered if it was strange that they weren't. Robot Jirou hadn't had any weapons built into his system, but he'd been capable of holding a gun. Not that JK wasn't grateful that the enemies didn't have any. "Ryusei-san, wait for me...!"

A door at the end of this hall. Beyond it— "Inga-san? Is that Inga-san?"

Ryusei didn't answer and continued walking.

When they were through the doorway and into the lab-like room, Inga turned.

Behind her stood Black Knight. "Oh, oh, oh? He's arrived! How about that, Inga Blink?"

"Inga-san? What's going on?"

"Devil's Head," Ryusei said when Inga didn't answer.

"At your service." Black Knight—Devil's Head mimed stretching. "Aletheia Alliance was quite instrumental in my revival, yes. Wasn't it, Inga Blink?"

Visibly disturbed, Inga turned around, but didn't say anything.

"Revival?" JK muttered. "Then... Inga-san revived... Megumi's killer...?"

"That's right!" Devil's Head said. "Have you come to stop me? Sorry, but I've jammed your satellite signal. You can't use that black and blue suit. What will you do now—!"

Ryusei and JK jumped aside as the robot rushed at them. Before Devil's Head could recover from the headlong charge, Ryusei had whirled and kicked at Devil Head's side.

—To no effect. Devil's Head turned, tutting, and sent a robotic fist at Ryusei's head, which Ryusei dodged. He pulled out a needle-like tube from his jacket and jabbed it into the robot's shoulder.

"What's this?" Devil's Head looked at the needle. "A decoration?"

"Ryusei-san, what's your plan," JK muttered nervously from behind a table as he watched Ryusei stick more needles into Devil's Head as the two of them fought. One of Devil's Head's attacks threw up concrete; a large piece came flying at JK's head.

A shot rang out. The piece of concrete was deflected and landed a few meters away.

"I-Inga-san?"

Inga moved her arm and shot at Ryusei's feet.

" _Inga-san?!_ "

"Inga Blink, what are you up to," Devil's Head said, and at the moment he became distracted, Ryusei seized the chance to jab a needle into the robot's back, which seemed to shock him. Whirling, Devil's Head grabbed Ryusei and tossed him into a glass display case on the far wall of the room.

Ryusei covered his face as, after landing on the floor, broken glass fell on and all around his body.

Inga shot at Devil's Head as he moved toward Ryusei.

"So you betray me after all, Inga Blink," Devil's Head said as he turned.

"I wasn't on your side to begin with," Inga said as she began to back away, shooting all the while.

Devil's Head ignored the bullets piercing his metal frame as he proceeded forward toward Inga. "Doesn't make a difference," he said. "You were the one who revived me."

Inga said nothing. She finished the round, tossed the gun aside, pulled out a second one from her leg holster. She continued backing away, until Devil's Head stepped onto the metal sheet nailed to the floor. She shot at the hinges. "Ryusei!"

Ryusei pulled out a switch from a pocket and flipped it. Devil's Head shuddered uncontrollably as a current was passed through the needles and bullets that riddled his body. 

Inga turned her gun upward and shot at the chains that held up a large replica telescope. It came crashing down on the robot's head as he feel through the flimsy metal sheet—which had only ever been a temporary floor.

There was a thump. Inga peered through the hole; Devil's Head lay on the floor of the floor below, unmoving. She shot at the newly-exposed control chip on the robot frame's chest, watched as it sparked and smoked. 

After a moment, she turned and went to Ryusei, who was gingerly picking himself up from the broken glass. "Are you unhurt?"

"Somehow," Ryusei said, taking her outstretched hand. "I could have prepared better if I'd known."

"I gave you so many hints," Inga said gently. 

Ryusei looked away. "I was preoccupied with other things," he finally said.

Inga looked at the piece of robot hanging from a chain around Ryusei's neck, and didn't answer. She tugged at her hand to pull away, but Ryusei didn't let go.

"Ryusei-san! Inga-san!" JK agitatedly pulled at Ryusei's sleeve. "What's that rumbling? Should we get out of here? Ryusei-san? Ryusei-san!"

"Hold onto us," Ryusei finally said, standing up.

"To— Both of you?" JK exclaimed as Inga moved to JK's other side. "What are we— Are we going to _jump_?! _Aieeeeee—_ "

* * *

_Inga Blink had finished rebuilding Black Knight, and had been on the verge of reviving him, but something went wrong. I don't know the details, but it seems Devil's Head had broken into Aletheia Alliance at this time. Something must have happened between them._

_But when Ryusei-san fought his way to that lab, all of the robot weapons systems were offline. I believe Inga-san had disabled them, and all of Devil's Head's too, which is why he had to use that bomb to threaten Nitta with instead. That's what I believe._

JK leaned back in his chair and reviewed what he'd just typed. He picked up his phone. "Gentarou-san, it didn't work at all! I still have all this anxiety!"

"Well, try—"

"Don't just recite the techniques you learned in teaching school!"

Gentarou laughed good-naturedly. "Sorry, sorry! Wanna go drinking?"

"At noon?"

"Yeah, Kengo needs to lighten up! You in?"

"Operation Get Kengo-san Drunk? Sign me up!"

 

Ryusei looked a mess when he opened the door.

"Did I wake you?" Inga said as she patted down his wayward hair. "Don't you have to pack?"

"My vacation was extended for a week."

"Oh... I brought you high-energy food, too! The extra energy will go to waste."

"Packing doesn't take that much effort." 

"If you're not hungry, then just say so, Mr. Patchwork-Face," Inga teased. She set the bag on the table and pulled out the two cartons.

"What's a patchwork-face?"

"You!" She tapped one of the myriad of band-aids and scratches on Ryusei's face. "If it heals like that, it'll be your nickname. Patchwork Ryusei."

"No way. You'd better not spread it."

Inga started laughing, and Ryusei grumbled and started to smile but suppressed it on the grounds that it would only encourage Inga's teasing.

 

"I've avenged—Well. You've been avenged," Nitta said as he stood before Takahiro's and Megumi's temporary headstones. He crossed his arms. "In the end, I was useless, after all. I thought I could—

"Well, it doesn't matter," he said after a moment. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Just— I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, is all."

The headstones didn't answer— Well, of course they didn't. Nitta felt someone behind him, and turned: JK was there, palms together.

JK accompanied Nitta as he left the cemetery, and after a few steps, slung his arm over Nitta's shoulders. "Nitta-san, wanna go drinking?"

"No." Nitta shrugged him off.

"Aw, come on! Gentarou-san's treating!"

"Is he really, or are you just saying he is?"

"Hey! Don't doubt! And anyway, we're trying to get a friend to loosen up. Whaddya say?"

JK was trying too hard, Nitta thought. "Okay," he said slowly. 

 

Ryusei and Inga were looking through a window at an arcade game they happened to pass by when they were accosted by Gentarou. "What is this fluffy cute tiger plush that looks like Ryusei?" Gentarou said, slinging his arms around them both as he looked over their heads.

"Nothing. Nowhere. Go away, Gentarou."

"Hello, Gentarou. It's right over—"

"You look like a patchwork-face," Kengo said to Ryusei as he ambled up.

Inga started laughing at the same moment JK had noticed them.

"Hey, what a coincidence! Isn't it a coincidence, Nitta-san?"

"Whatever you say. Hello, Gentarou-san, uh, Uta...?"

"Utahoshi. Hello."

"Don't be so cold, Kengo-san! Gentarou-san, Nitta-san is joining in."

"Excellent!" Gentarou towed Inga and Ryusei over, and when Ryusei escaped from his clutches, he threw the suddenly-free arm around Nitta. "Let's go, let's go!"

As Gentarou led the way, Nitta surreptitiously glanced at Inga and Ryusei, then at JK, who were all three talking to Gentarou. 

"Are you okay, Nitta?"

Nitta turned to Kengo. "Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?"

Kengo shoved his hands in his pockets. "Times like these... you just have to move on."

"Yeah, I know."

Gentarou turned around. "Hey, Kengo, Nitta! Don't lag behind!" He waved to them.

Kengo increased his pace and caught up. After a moment, Nitta did too.


End file.
